Knowledge to make your life better. If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend.
Photos show what crime looks like before it happens
A very interesting article about the algorithms used to alert surveillance camera operators to “suspicious” behaviors. The list of “pre-crime” activities that trigger an alert are also activities that you should recognize as potential danger cues on the street. The list of suspicious activities is as follows:
- Standing Still
- Fast Movements
- Lonely Objects
- Placement On A Corner
- Clusters Breaking Apart
- Synchronized Movements
- Repeatedly Looking Back
- Deviant Directions
This type of pattern recognition is identical to what the authors of Left of Bang discuss. Establish a baseline of behavior for your environment. Pay attention to any deviations from the baseline.
H/T to Practical Eschatology for posting the original link.
Situational Awareness
A couple good drills to enhance your situational awareness.
Unlock Your Car From the Outside with a Shoelace
A neat trick to remember if your car has pull-up door locks.
The Metabolic Swing
Some guidance on integrating kettlebell swings into your workout for faster fat loss.
A Cold Slap in the Newbie Face
The previous post was about fat loss. If you are a 150 lb male, you don’t need to lose fat. You need to add muscle.
“Here’s the deal, until you get big and strong, nobody with an opinion of any discernible value cares about your abs, and neither should you. Razor abs on a skinny guy are like really nice clothes on a fat girl. Better for her to spend the money on quality diet and exercise advice, and better for you to get your squat up to 405 before you start timing your macronutrients and really “dialing in” your physique.”
Coach Rippetoe’s book Starting Strength is a great place to begin if you want to put on some mass.
Double-Action Satisfaction: Getting The Most From Your DA/SA Semi-Auto
Quality advice about mastering the traditional double action auto pistol.
Frontier Pocket Pistols
If you are a history buff, you will enjoy this very thorough look at the evolution of the frontier pocket pistol.
What the hell?! My thoughts on current combative firearms training
Dave Spaulding has been around the training industry longer than most. Here are his thoughts on what’s currently happening in the firearms training world. All shooters should read Dave’s book Handgun Combatives.
The Havok Journal has some more thoughts on the same topic:
“Most of the people you see promoting the industry today have no experience, no background, and no idea how to properly test, evaluate, or describe the proper application of a product. Keep that in mind as you research your next purchase. Experts are there. They’re just sitting quietly in the corner and not running around like a five year old in a toy store, drooling over each item they see in fancy packaging. Be smart and take some time to learn who’s helping you make decisions about YOUR needs.”
Researchers have discovered a much faster way to learn new skills
“What we found is if you practice a slightly modified version of a task you want to master, you actually learn more and faster than if you just keep practicing the exact same thing multiple times in a row,”
Open Carry: There Are No More Excuses For It
After last week’s knowledge dump, some of you thought I was too harshly condemning open carry. It is impossible to condemn such lunacy enough. Here are a couple more articles about open carry that will hopefully convince you idiots to leave your rifles at home and cover up your pistols. From the article linked above:
“Rifle OC is fucking stupid. It’s not done to keep peace, it’s done to get attention and create confrontations. And those of us with actual training and experience, especially those of us who carry concealed pistols to defend ourselves, our families and innocent people around us, have to react when we see someone carrying a rifle ready to engage in public. For those of us with a sworn duty to protect the public, OC creates even more problems. This isn’t about police overreaction; after aaallll the mass shootings we’ve had in America, and after the horrors of the Paris attack, any police officer who ignores Random Guy Walking Down The Street With A Rifle is guilty of criminal negligence
So cut it out, open carriers. OC a pistol if you must (that’s not such a good idea either, but relatively speaking it’s the difference between gonorrhea and syphilis). But leave the rifles at home. Rifle OC doesn’t show us freedom-hating cops that the citizens are armed and capable of resisting tyranny; we already know that. We’re usually criticized for acting like everyone’s armed, not like nobody’s armed. You and your rifle don’t do anything except make yourselves look like self-centered assholes.”
If that isn’t enough for you, here is a collection of Mas Ayoob’s thoughts on the topic.
Guns & Ammo Editor Nearly Shoots Himself Proving That Serpa Holsters Suck
Since I’m slaughtering sacred cows today, let’s spread some more hate and discontent. Serpa holsters are a very poor choice for defensive carry. Educate yourself and buy a better design. Karl Rehn goes into more detail about the video HERE. I like the Safariland ALS if you are looking for a security holster.
Pistol Drills 7 Yards and Beyond
A few more good shooting drills from Gun Nuts Media.
Incident Analysis: Warning shots are a bad idea, especially when the run you out of ammunition.
“Warning shots are seldom justifiable, and they’re almost always a bad idea. Especially if you use up all your ammunition in the process!”
Leveling a reticle
A pretty slick way to make sure your scope’s reticle is level.
Why I do NOT believe firearms training should be mandatory
Some good thinking about the topic of “mandatory” firearms training.
Short Stroke or Buffer? Trouble Shooting An AR
Excellent information about how buffer spring weight affects cycling on an AR-15 rifle. If you are having malfunctions like the author is describing, first look to make sure your bolt carrier key is properly staked. I see that problem far more often than I see rifles with the incorrect buffer.
Electronic Stun Devices 101: What They Can and Cannot Do
There is a difference between a stun gun and a Taser. To learn more about each, check out this article.
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